The present invention is directed generally to a light transmissive film, and particularly to a film that reduces the incidence of defects in a display.
The use of films for displays is well known. For example, in backlit displays, brightness enhancement films use a prismatic structure to direct light along the viewing axis, thus enhancing the brightness of the light perceived by the viewer. As another example, a backlit computer display screen may use a number of different films in order to produce a screen with high contrast and high overall brightness, while simultaneously maintaining high, uniform brightness in certain selected directions and lower brightness in other directions. Such screens may use several types of films, such as diffusing films, in combination with a prismatic film or a lenticular film.
One problem with using films in a display is that the cosmetic requirements for a display intended for close viewing, such as a computer display, are very high. This is because such displays are viewed closely for long periods of time, and so even very small defects may be detected by the naked eye, and cause distraction to the viewer. The elimination of such defects can be costly in both inspection time and in materials.
Defects are manifested in several different ways. There are physical defects such as specks, lint, scratches, inclusions etc., and also defects that are optical phenomena. Among the most common optical phenomena are "wet-out" and Newton's rings. "Wet-out" occurs when two surfaces optically contact each other, thus effectively removing the change in refractive index for light propagating from one film to the next. This is particularly problematic for films that use a structured surface for their optical effect, since the refractive properties of the structured surface are nullified. The effect of "wet-out" is to create a mottled and varying appearance to the screen. Newton's rings are the result of a slowly varying air gap between two films, as may be created by a particle of dust between two films. Newton's rings may be formed in transmission or in reflection. The result of Newton's rings is that the viewer perceives a contour pattern on the screen that may be distracting.
Several approaches have been followed to overcome the problem of defects in multiple-film display assemblies. One is simply to accept a low yield of acceptable display assemblies produced by the conventional manufacturing process. This is obviously unacceptable in a competitive market. A second approach is to adopt very clean and careful manufacturing procedures, and impose rigid quality control standards. While this may improve the yield, the cost of production is increased to cover the cost of clean facilities and inspection.
Another approach to reducing defects is to introduce a diffuser to the display, either a surface diffuser or a bulk diffuser. Such diffusers may mask many defects, and increase the manufacturing yield at low additional cost. However, the diffuser scatters light and decreases the on-axis brightness of light perceived by the viewer, thus reducing the performance.
There continues to be a need to reduce the occurrence of defects in displays, so that the manufacturing yield may be improved with little additional cost while, at the same time, maintaining performance.